College Football Countdown: No. 81 Indiana

Matt Murschel and Brant Parsons look at our annual college football tradition, the counting down of teams from No. 128 to No. 1. Each day between now and August 25, we will unveil the next team in the countdown.

Matt Murschel and Brant Parsons look at our annual college football tradition, the counting down of teams from No. 128 to No. 1. Each day between now and August 25, we will unveil the next team in the countdown.

Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel ranked all 128 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country entering the 2016 season. The Sentinel staff takes a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 128 to our projected No. 1 team.

Look back: Indiana opened the season with four consecutive wins – the program’s best start since 1990 – before dropping the next six consecutive games. Five of those losses were against teams that would wind up playing in the postseason. Back-to-back wins made Indiana bowl eligible for the first time since 2007. Five of the team’s seven losses were by single digits.

Strengths: Offense hasn’t been a concern for Indiana, which has consistently been one of the top Big Ten teams in that category under coach Kevin Wilson. For the second time in five seasons under Wilson, the Hoosiers averaged more than 500 yards of total offense per game. Indiana allowed a Big Ten-best 13 sacks last season, with the offensive line giving up just 5.15 tackles for loss. Senior Jacob Bailey is one of a trio of veterans returning this season, along with All-America candidate Dan Feeney and Dimitric Camiel anchoring the right side.

Indiana produced two 1,000-yard rushers last season in Jordan Howard (1,213) and Devine Redding (1,012). Redding is more than able to step into a large role with Howard’s departure.

Junior Simmie Cobbs was second in the Big Ten in yards per catch (17.25) after recording a career-high 1,035 yards for the Hoosiers. The fleet-footed receiver leads a trio of players who make up close to 70 percent of the team’s total receiving production in 2015.

Weaknesses: Nate Sudfeld finished his career as the school’s career leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns after 26 starts with the Hoosiers. His replacement still remains somewhat of a mystery, with three players vying for the job: junior college transfer Richard Lagow, sophomore Danny Cameron and junior Zander Diamont.

Indiana finished last in total defense after allowing more than 509 yards per game last season. It’s the second time in three seasons that the Hoosiers have allowed more than 500 yards of offense to opponents. On the heels of the poor showing, Wilson brought in former USF defensive coordinator Tom Allen to implement a more attacking-style of defense predicated on speed and athleticism used to create turnovers. The biggest question mark will be the front line, which returns very little starting experience. The secondary returns four starters, but the group ranked last in the conference in pass defense.

Outlook: Indiana has seen steady improvement under Wilson and the school rewarded him with a six-year contract extension in January. Indiana hasn’t qualified for back-to-back bowls since the early 1990s and the idea of another postseason appearance doesn’t seem that far-fetched, especially if the defense improves in Allen’s 4-2-5 defensive scheme.